Jewish Community

The reconstruction of Gladbach's Jewish community began as early as the summer of 1945. The driving force behind this was Kurt Hecht, who returned to his homeland after his imprisonment in a concentration camp in Mechelen and became chairman of the community for many years.

The Jewish community of Mönchengladbach today also includes the districts of Viersen, Erkelenz, Heinsberg and Grevenbroich. By the end of the 1960s, the community had grown to 120 people. Due to the influx of many Jews from the former Soviet territories in the 1990s, the community continued to grow. 

The Kibbutz Buchenwald, which had previously been located on a farm in Eggendorf in Thüringen, was a Hachscharastätte founded by 16 Üsurvivors of the Kibbutz Buchenwald on 03 June 1945. On June 26, due to the Soviet occupation, the location changed to Gehringshof in the American sector. The group was organized collectively and consisted of religious and secular, mainly German and Polish youth. Some were convinced Zionists, others were more pragmatic. Before the first group of 80 people made their aliyah to Palestine in September 1945.

In the Balearic Islands Jews lived since the 2nd century . Until the 12th century they experienced several persecutions. At the beginning of the 14th century , tensions between Christians and Jews increased.

In 1344 all Jews of the Hanau Jewish community were murdered due to the plague pogroms . From 1603 Jews settled in Hanau again. On December 28, 1605, Count Philipp Ludwig II. von Hanau-Münzenberg issued a privilege for this purpose, the so-called "Judenstättigkeit".

Against the former location of the synagogue, there has been a memorial stone since 1964, which commemorates the expelled Jewish community. It is accompanied by a plaque that gives explanations about the historical background. Behind this memorial are wall remains of the „Hexen-“ or „Diebsturm“, part of the medieval fortifications of the old town of Hanau. In 1605–1608, this tower housed the first temporary synagogue of the community.

The Jewish community house, built in the 18th century and acquired by the Jewish community after the opening of the Hanau ghetto, was located on the property, as well as the Jewish community school since 1890. The community house itself played a decisive role. The fact that the community house was acquired was an important stage in the development of the community. It was a step from isolation in the ghetto to becoming an emancipated part of the urban community. But a community house also strengthens a community in other ways.